It’s 12:30 am Halloween Day…my feet are KILLING me but the kids and I had fun at the 2 night preview. The boozometer is a big hit. These are literally the first three shots. I promise to do better but I’m so tired I can’t now. This is the Hearse Wedding Moblie, the Vegas Lounge and the Chapel. Tomorrow will be absolute mayhem so don’t expect to see me. I wish you all Happy Haunting.

Well, I’d like to show you all my first preview night but my 8gig card went bad on me so I’ll have to re-take them all. The first night is all about running around like a maniac…working on sound and lighting. When the Hearse pulled up, I’m not sure I have every grinned that big in my life. It’s a giant black one from the 70’s and it’s really scary… and I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel…

I put that baby right on the front lawn…

It has a big pink casket in the back and power everything. It drives like it’s floating on clouds. I put the bride and groom into the front seat and added my own Frieda Kahlo scull ornament on the hood… complete with black roses on red silk ribbon and the “Just Scarried” signs with the bones (instead of cans).

I can’t show you a thing from tonight but I do have a shot of the pink casket in a 1959 Hearse. The owner plans to do a drive by in it Tuesday.

I was up until 2 am trying to pull tiny little tags off the kid’s “Snake Eyes”, “Hit me” and “High Rollers” give-away bracelets… and then back up at the crack of dawn to resume candy detail, sign hanging (which I despise) and more set dressing (which I love) but I just had to show you a proper photo of the focal point…

The sign is up and it took 5 strong guys to get it there…

The first photo is the Halloween Team and Steve, the guy who got his Father’s’s old one arm bandits going.

Next is Jake, the boy who asked me if I could do a “Haunted Casino” as he held up this sign …one year ago.

Then we have Chris and Carson, the man (and friend) who made this sign possible and Carson, his son who came to Halloween (which allowed me meet his Dad).

The sign is amazing…and is quite popular… Now off to bed. I’m going to a hearse parade in the morning to meet another new friend…

Today was a stress filled day…watching the folks I’ve worked with side-by-side for 20 years…frantically on their cell phones. They were monitoring fires, checking the websites, listening for updates and calling family and friends. My buddy in the next cubicle was on the phone with his Parent’s as the announcement came through for mandatory evacuations in their area. I saw how helpless he looked, knowing he would not being able to make it to them with all the freeways jammed. The friend and co-worker that took over my old position…she never showed up at all. The fire stopped right at her fence, just before her pool and home. She was carrying her cat in her car… on a leash and her husband was still at home making sure things were still safe. I spoke to a client who had taken in evacuees and I could hear the nervousness in her voice as she said she needed to get home…to make them feel more comfortable. I watched the quiet guy in the corner, sole support of his large, college bound family…silently checking the web for reports of how close things were getting to his home…as the wind changed direction.

I left today not knowing exactly what tomorrow brings for each of them… What does any of us ever really know? I took my camera down to the Ocean because that clicking shutter always seems to make me calm. The fires are burning off to both sides of where I live and though my home is in no danger, nor my families, I still feel a part of all of those people’s fears. Fire always brings photographers and sunsets together and sure enough, they were all lined up along the shore. The wind was creating massive waves with a heavy spray…and yes, the ol’ sun was setting in a sky of reddish pink. I watch them all in their orderly line… with their fancy lenses, some as long as my arm and as round as my thigh, all sitting atop an array of tripods… sunk deep into the sand. I tossed my head and walked right past them…rolled up my pants and headed straight out to sea. It was the first time in my life, I decided to throw politeness to a strong wind. This was my beach and my bad day and I didn’t care if I invaded their shots. My hair blew in my face and my pants got soaked and I had a heck of a time just standing still while trying to protect my most precious lens. I breathed in the ocean scent and once again felt invincible… I will meet tomorrow head on…with whatever it takes…